Virtual School training offer
Welcome to the BCP Virtual School Training Offer 2025 to 2026, providing details of professional development opportunities, offered to settings, wider professionals and carers across BCP Council.
As the Virtual School headteacher, it is a statutory part of my role to ensure that there are appropriate arrangements in place to meet the training needs of those responsible for promoting the educational achievement of looked-after and previously looked after children. This includes carers, social workers, designated teachers and IROs.
Such training, among other things, should include information about school admission arrangements; special educational needs; attendance and exclusions; homework; choosing GCSE options; managing any challenging behaviour in relation to education settings; promoting positive educational and recreational activities and supporting children to be aspirational for their future education; training and employment, and the importance of listening to and taking account of the child's wishes and feelings about education and the PEP process.
I am also responsible for ensuring that school governing bodies understand the importance of specific professional development for, as a minimum, their senior leaders and designated teachers in supporting achievement of looked-after and previously looked after children.
Our vision, along with the new vision for children in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is to ensure that our training offer evolves to support everyone within their roles to ensure all children and young people have the best possible opportunities in life within a community to flourish and grow in order to succeed.
Leah May - Headteacher of BCP Virtual School and College
Overview of training for 2025 to 2026
All the training sessions in bold on the tables within the following downloads are essential and part of the statutory training requirement for the designated teacher (DT) role in 2025 to 2026.
We ask that all DTs request from their school to attend these sessions. Please use Skillgate to register for all courses.
Links are provided on each course, but the general website can be searched for all VS courses.
If you have any specific queries about any training listed, please contact the named contact person for the event as listed in this document.
In particular, we require all DTs to be at both Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Training 1 and 2 to be qualified in this new strategy from the Virtual School.
There are further training opportunities detailed in the general training pages that would also be beneficial to the role and are of a shorter commitment of a few hours online or after school hours. All DTs are very welcome to sign up to as many training opportunities as they wish.
Some of our training provisions are also on a request basis, such as support with attendance, transitions and the opportunity to discuss any child under our care with one of our education advisors at any time.
Some training is accessible at any time and consists of pre-recorded support and guidance for specific topics.
We also offer training bespoke to the early years provision, post 16 and support for social care.
Contact websites and key documents
Directory to a range of services, organisations and support networks for children with SEND.
Learning management system - professionals can access a wide range of training delivered by BCP Council through the booking platform.
Online UK-wide database designed to help autistic people, their families and the people who work with them professionally to find out more about local and national services and events.
Family and professional support, advice and resource directory for speech, language and communication difficulties.
Promoting the education of children with a social worker and children in kinship care arrangements: virtual school head role extension.